In the first two games of the World Series, their bullpen has been perfect, throwing 52/3 innings, allowing one hit, no runs and no walks with nine strikeouts.

Needless to say, that adds up to one impressive collective ERA. It wasn't much of an issue in Game 1 of the Series, a record 13-1 Red Sox win, but Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon were slightly awesome in wrapping up Thursday's 2-1 Game 2 victory, sending the Series to Denver.

Okajima went 21/3 innings, throwing only 28 pitches (20 strikes) to seven batters. He struck out four, two looking.

Fellow countryman Daisuke Matsuzaka starts for the Red Sox tonight at Coors Field, but it's not like they hadn't seen him on film.

“This is our first viewing of him,” said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle.

“We've watched a lot of tape of him. We watched him pitch, obviously, most recently against Cleveland. He's very effective. He can speed you up, slow you down, he throws strikes, he's got some deception.

“He's been a big part of their bullpen, a big part of their success over there. Anybody similar, not right off the top of my head, and I think that adds to his deception a little bit.”

Along with Papelbon, the pair have become dominant. In the playoffs they've thrown 171/3 innings, allowing nine hits and no runs, walking seven and striking out 15.

They took it to another level in Game 2, however, so much so that Papelbon recorded his first career pickoff, nailing Matt Holliday by a mile at first base in the eighth inning.

“Pap' has thrown the ball well the whole time he's been the closer here,” said veteran Mike Timlin, who like the other two, has a 0.00 ERA with five strikeouts and no walks in four playoff appearances.

“We're confident in what he can do.” Like Colorado's Hurdle, he said that Okajima's trickery can go a long way. “He has great deception, great arm speed on his off-speed pitches. It's tough to pick up, a lot like Pap. The deception is where it's coming out of his release point.”

In the end, the bullpen has become a cohesive unit, much like it has all season when it compiled a 3.10 ERA, second-best in the majors to San Diego's 3.06.

The relievers have become an all-for-one group that has a blast, something brought out recently with the parrot incident, and with the FOX network's spotlight, showing the daily rituals such as banging on the bullpen roof and forming a conga line to send the starting pitcher off at the beginning of a game.

It seems to work.

The overall Sox playoff ERA of 3.17 is their lowest in any post-season since 1946 (2.95 in seven World Series games). The two runs allowed in Games 1 and 2 is the fewest allowed since Game 1 and 2 of the 1967 World series (also two).

The Sox have recorded 12 and 10 strikeouts, respectively, in the first two games. In 64 previous World Series games, the team had struck out 10 or more just twice previously — 11 each in Game 2 in 1903 and Game 1 in 1912.

And nine of the strikeouts are credited to the bullpen.

“The bullpen we have is a great bullpen,” said Timlin, regarded as the leader of the group. “We have a lot of fun. We've done different stuff this year. It's our way of rallying the troops. People wear rally hats, but we bang, we drum.”

Timlin is the leader, but Papelbon has become the ringleader.

“His personality is unique,” said Manager Terry Francona. “I think the fact that he throws 94 to 97 with command, though, probably is more important, with a split. He's one of the best.”

Timlin remains particularly impressed with Okajima.

“He's one of the top ones. He hadn't thrown that much in a long time but went out there and handled it well. He kept his pitch count low and attacked the zone. He doesn't put too much pressure on himself and he knows what he can and can't do.”